Arm-rest attachment for crutches.



G. HIPWOOD.

ARM REST ATTACHMENT FOR CRUTCHES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12. |918. RENEwED Aue. a. 191s.

Patented Api. 1,1919..

2 SHEETS-SHEET l..

Fig. T.

Tnvenror. George Hpwood y by MMXZVWW /Wys G. HlPwoon.

ARM REST ATACHMENT FOR CRUTCHES.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.I2. IQIB. RENEWED AUG. 3.1918.

1,298,714. Patente' r.1,1919.f

l 2 SH -SHEET 2.

Im/enfov.r George Hpwood by 76W@ Mam f j UNITED srarns PATENT Fries;

cnononlnrrwoon, or Bos'roN, MASSACHUSETTS.

yin-v'ention, I have illustrated in the draw- .i Arm-Rest Attachments for `Crutches,. ofv

i Specicationcf Letters Patent.

ARM-REST ATTACHMENT FOR CRUTCIEIES.

` Patented Apr.1, 1919.

` .Application led January 12, 1918, Serial No. 211,529. Renewed August 3, 1918. Serial No. 248.212.

e ,y To all whom z't may concern:

. Be it `known that I,` GEORGE I-IIPwooD,` a citizen of the United States, residi/g at Boston, county of Suffolk, State of assachusetts, have invented" an Improvement in which thefollowing description, in connection with `the accompanying drawing,- is. a specification, like charactersy on the drawing' representing/like parts.

This invention `relates to an armrest attachment adapted to be applied tothe head ,y lofan'ordinar crutch, and it has for its ob-` ject .to provi e'a novel attachment of this type which when applied tothecrutchprovides a yielding.l `resilient, arm-supporting portion whichadds` greatly to the comfort ing surface,and sometimes this crutch head of the user of the crutch.

.Mostlcrutches are provided w1th a wooden head having an upper concave arm-supportis covered with cloth for thepurpose of providingT aisofter surface. rMy improved ati' `tachnlcnt is constructed so that it can be l crutch head, and when so applied it presents readily applied to any ordinary wooden a, a'exibie 1ongitudinauyaesnient arm-Supl porting surface situatedabove the concave ingportion of the attachment instead of on the crutch head, thereby yadding greatly to thecomfort: "of the `user of the crutch.' ,In'order, to give an understanding of my f ings ya. selected embodiment thereof which lwill now be described, after which the novel features thereof `'will-bepointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is aside view of a crutchhead having my improved attachment applied i thereto;

rayhand end of Fig.:1; y i

Fig 3.is ,an undersideview4 ofthe left- `.s Fig.,5is aview similar to Fig. 1 showing l the position'of the parts 'when weight is aptwoLsidemembers `of the crutch on which the plied to the attachment;

Fig isl a perspectlve view of one of the [clips or fastening devices.`

` 1 indicates the wooden head `or. arm restor' an ordinary crutch which is provided with agconcave upper face 4, and 2 indicate the head 1 is supported. My improved crutch attachment comprises two fastening devices or clips which are adapted to be inserted over the ends 3 of the crutch head 1, and a fiexible longitudinally-resilient arm-supporting member sustained bysaid fastening devices abovethe concave upper face 4 of the crutch head 1. VThe means fory securing the armsupporting member to the clips or fastening devices 'is preferably so constructed that when downward pressure is applied to the central yportion of the arm-supportin member, the ends thereof will be raise The advantage of this is that the movement of the arm-supporting member toward the head of the crutch is partially counteracted by the upward movement of the ends of the larmsupporting member so that said arm-supporting member will not be brought into contact with the central part of the crutch head, even when considerable weight is applied thereto. The clips or fastening devices, which support the arm-supporting member and are adapted to be applied to the ends 3 of the crutch head, are indicated generally at 5. While these clips may be made in varlous ways without departing from the invention, the construction herein shown is one presenting two sides 7 and 8 connected by the portion 6, the sides 7 and 8 resting on the top and bottom of the end 3 of the crutch head and the portion 6 passing around the tip of the crutch head. The portion 7 is provided with two arms 9 which extend around the sides of the crutch head and which may be clamped firmly to the crutch head by means of a clamping screw 10. When the clamp.- ing screw 10 is loosened, each clip or fastening device may be readily withdrawn from the end of the crutch head.

The arm-supporting member is indicated generally at 11 and it is secured at its ends to two levers 12which are pivotally secured to the clipsv and extend upwardly therefrom. The lever members 12 are shown as having two side portions 13 which are pivoted to opposite sides of the clip or fastening device at 14, the two sides 13 being connected by the bridge portion 15 to which the arm-supportino member 11 is fastened.

2'The arm-supporting portion 11` is flexible and is also made longltudinally resilient and while said member may be constructed in a variety of different ways without departino' from the invention, the construction an arrangement herein illustrated has many adv'antages. It consists of a member 18 of leather or some similar material which` is reinforced by a plurality 'of helical springs 19 that are situated beneath the member 18. These springs 19 are fastened at their ends toloop devices 20 and the member 18 is provided ateach end with an elongated tab or strap'21wh-ich is passed around the bridge 15 of one of the levers 12, thence through one of the loops 20vand thence around the end of the crutch head, said tab passing between the two `arms orsides 13 of the lever 12 and extending-underneath the crutch head and being secured to a suitable hook or fastenin member 22. .This vfastening element 22 wi l preferably be formed on the clip 5, but might .be carried directlyby the crutch head. The end 'off the tab 21 will preferablyhave a plurality :of aperturesfQB ltherein through any one' ofwhich the hook 22 may bey inserted. By this Iconstruction the member 18 will be held taut-by the resiliency of the springs, 19 and the tension of the springscan beincreased by drawing the tabs 21 tighter, and can bedecreased byletting outthe tabs somewhat.

The lever members 12 are preferably acted upon by springs which tend to throw them outwardly away from each other. vIn the constructionshown there is one such spring shownviat 17 said-*spring being in the form of..1a leafspringffastened at onefend to the endfofthe clip,"the -o`therend k23 of the spring loosely passing through faflguide 24 formed on fthe'clip. Thesegsprings 17 have engagement with V-a loop portion 16 of the lever 12 and thereby tend to throw the outer ends ofthe levers outwardly. The application lof Yweighti'or 'downwardpressure to the central portion of the armfsupporting member 11 will? tend'toswingf the upper ends of the levers 12 inwardly, such movement being resisted yand-cushioned by the springs 17. Moreover, the idownward pressure on the arm-supporting member tends to elongate the; springs 19.1and the weight whichA is applied Vv'to 'the `crutch will thus be resiliently sustained :partially vby the springs 17 and partially by thersprings-19. Owing to the fact that the levers 12 incline upwardly vand outwardly fromf'their pivots the swinging movement ofthe levers due to the application of weight tothe arm-supporting member will'elevate the outerends and thus the ends ofthe arm-supporting member are raisedfas the central lpart is depressed. The advantageof this is that the downward yielding movement of the arm-supporting member is partially counteracted by the raising ofthe -outerends of the levers, yand hence there will be no danger that the armsupporting V`member `will be depressed into contact -with`the crutch vhead l when in use.

The 'construction fherein shown has Athe further advantage that thetension of the springs 19 can be adjusted to suit the weight which is applied to the crutch. If the crutch is to be used fora person of light weight, the tabs 21 may be adjusted so as to give the springs 19less tension than if the crutch is to be used by a person of heavier weight. It is, of course, desirable that the fieXbleresilient arm-supporting member 11 should always be maintained out of contact with the 7 crutch head 1 while the crutch is being used, and this end can be accomplished by merely adjusting the resiliency of the springs 19. to correspond to the weight of the person who is using the crutch.

vMy improved `attachment can be `very easily applied to any-crutch head Tand vthe shape of the clips or'fastening devices v5;is such that they may be used on .any ordinary crutch head. j f v I claim: t f

i1. In a crutch attachmennthe.combination with two :clip members/adapted:tobe applied to the ends of a'fcrutch head, of ya lever pivoted kto each cliptmember, and :a flexible arm-supporting member Lvconnecting the ends of the levers. v

2.- In a crutch attachmentythecombina* tion with two clip members adapteduto be applied to `the `ends of ia. crutchxhead, of va lever lpivoted to each clip member, `and a longitudinallyfeXtensible arm-supporting member connecting theends-of. the levers.

.3. y.In a jcrutch attachment, f the` combination with twoclip .members `adapted Vto be applied to the ends -of` a crutchhead, of a lever pivoted to each iclip member, and a longitudinally resilient arm e supporting member connecting the ends `of the levers.

4. Ina crutch attachment, the'combina- 1.05`

tion with two clip members adaptedztorbe applied to the ends ofwa crutch head,fofa lever pivoted to each clip menrberfalongr tudinally-resilient arm-supporting member connecting the ends of the levers, and means for varying the resiliency :of .sai-d varm-supporting memben 5. In a crutch attachment,the lcombi-'nation with two clip members-adaptedtoibe appliedto the ends of ya crutch heady-.f a

ln-)veipivoted to each clipy member, a flexible i "tiony with clip `members adapted to be apo plied to the ends of a crutch head, of a lever .pivoted to each clip member, and an armsupporting member comprising `a lexible element, an extensible spring situated be- "said flexible element.V

8. The combination with a crutch head, of two levers pivotally mounted thereon adjacent the` ends thereof, each lever extend- Copies of this patent may be` obtained for ing upwardly and outwardly from its pivot, and a flexible arm-supporting member connecting the ends of said levers.

9. The combination with a crutch head, of two levers ivotally mounted thereon adjacent the en s thereof, each lever extending upwardly and outwardly from its pivot, a flexible arm-supporting member connecting the ends of said levers, and springs acting on said levers and tending to hold said member taut.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE HIPwooD.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner o! Patents, Washington, D. 0.- 

